July 30th, 2026.
The Hayashi's remaining F-35Bs, piloted by Danji, Hiruchi and Junji, are already airborne, heading for Simushir Island in full afterburner.
"Alright, we're getting our captain back." Danji said. "Remember, guys. We fly over the island and cause as much damage to the Ruskie base as possible."
"Roger." Both Hiruchi and Junji replied.
Meanwhile, at Simushir, back at the cave, Shiki and Hitori both wake up from their sleep, the morning sun shining on the lake.
"Morning already?" Hitori asked, having just awoken.
"Yeah." Shiki said. "We'd better move now. My guys are probably already on their way."
"You're right." Hitori replied, just as she cocks her personal Beretta 92 pistol. "Let's get going."
Several Russian troops continue their patrol in the forests when suddenly, one by one, the soldiers disappear into the bush. Emerging from the bush is Shiki and Hitori, having strangled the Russian soldiers to death while avoiding detection, with Hitori now carrying an AK-12 from one of the dead Russians. Suddenly, two Mi-8 Hip helicopters fly by. Both Shiki and Hitori nod to each other, intending to follow the helicopters without being seen.
At the airbase, the base commander is conversing with the Su-27 pilot, Natalya Shirapova, over the previous day's encounter with Shiki.
"Are you positive it's the same Japanese plane that crashed on the island?" The base commander asked.
"Yes, sir." Natalya said. "There's no mistake about it. The serial number matches the one on the plane that crashed."
"You've done some great work, Flight Officer Shirapova." The base commander said. "Return to your quarters at once."
"Understood, sir." Natalya replied just as she leaves the commander's office.
The two Mi-8s arrive at the airbase, dropping off equipment at the runway before lifting off once again. Shiki and Hitori, hiding behind some wooden boxes, find a An-72 Coaler transport jet on the runway.
"An Antonov." Hitori said. "That's got to be our ticket out of here."
"Yeah. But how do we get in the plane?" Shiki asked. "With all those Russian troops around, we'll be seen before we get a chance to steal it."
"So what do we do?" Hitori asked in turn, all the while holding onto the AK-12. "We can't just hunker ourselves down these boxes forever."
As Shiki and Hitori converse, Natalya, who is on her way to her pilot's quarters, notices the two hiding behind the boxes. Realizing there are intruders in the base, she immediately heads to a nearby phone, calling the base commander.
"Commander. We have intruders in the base." Natalya spoke on the phone.
"What?" The base commander asked. "Sound the alarm!"
Alarms blared around the base, and a passing Mi-24 Hind helicopter gunship notices Shiki and Hitori by the boxes.
"Oh, crap!" Shiki said, realizing they were spotted.
The Hind begins firing at Shiki and Hitori with its gatling gun, forcing them to run inside the base. The Russian troops follow suit, firing their AK-12s at the duo, with Hitori firing back at them as she and Shiki enter, killing several Russians.
"Intruders inside the base! Notify all squads." One of the soldiers shouted as the Mi-24 flies around the runway.
Meanwhile, at the crash site, the Russian soldiers and armor on patrol immediately get pummeled by Danji, Junji and Hirushi, with the Tunguska mobile AA gun and the T-72 being instantly blown to smithereens. Russian soldiers try to get into the bushes, only to get mowed down by the F-35s with cannon fire.
"Damn. Where is he?" Danji asked as he continues firing his F-35's cannon at the Russian troops.
"I don't...wait, I see smoke from over there." Junji said, noticing the smoke from the airbase.
"Yeah. I just noticed a Hind gunship." Hirushi replied, having spotted the Hind.
"Let's check it out." Danji said, directing his wingmen to the Russian airbase at full speed.
Inside the base, Shiki and Hitori run past hordes of Russian soldiers, knocking several of them down while under fire, with Shiki immediately grabbing an AK-12 from one of the soldiers.
"Man. These Ruskies are everywhere." Shiki yelled as he started blasting away at the Russian troops.
"Hold it right there!" Natalya screamed while firing warning shots with a Makarov pistol.
Natalya tries to cut them off, shooting her Makarov pistol at them, but Hitori shoots the gun out of the pilot's hands with her Beretta 92 and immediately punches her in the face, knocking her down.
Just then, the Hind spots them again, and as Shiki and Hitori continue to run inside the base, the Hind is on the verge of once again firing its gatling gun when it suddenly explodes right in front of them.
"Wait, that's a missile trail." Hitori said, noticing the telltale sign of a missile launch. "Then, that means…"
Shiki is elated when he sees the F-35s of Danji, Junji and Hirushi arrive at high speed, flying around the base.
"I told you they'd come." Shiki said to Hitori. "Now let's get out of here."
"Right." Hitori replied.
"Where's the Captain?" Danji asked again, trying to find Shiki.
"Look!" Hirushi said. "I see two people on the tarmac."
"Let me have a look." Junji said while immediately reversing his F-35's thruster to hover.
Seeing Shiki and Hitori board the An-72, Junji recognizes them.
"It's the Captain, and I don't know how, but the queen bee is with him".
"Queen bee?" Danji asked.
"Oh, no. Don't tell me. We have to save her too?" Hirushi asked exasperatedly.
"The real question is, what's she doing over there?"
"Whatever. Getting Shiki out is our primary concern." Danji replied. "We'll sort it out later."
Meanwhile, Natalya, in hot pursuit of the escapees, notices the An-72 taxiing for takeoff.
"You think I'll just let you go." Natalya said as she boards her Su-27, climbing onto the cockpit.
Aboard the An-72, Shiki and Hitori get a feel of the controls on the cockpit.
"Do you understand Russian?" Shiki asked Hitori.
"I know plenty. I took a Russian language course when I was a third year at high school." Hitori replied.
"Alright. I'm counting on you." Shiki said.
The An-72 takes off, with the F-35s flying escort, all the while Natalya primes her Su-27 for takeoff to give chase.
"I got a contact. There's an Su-27 on the runway." Junji said.
"I've got this." Hirushi replied as he flies his F-35 straight towards the Su-27.
"You're not my prey." Natalya said as she acquires lock on the plane about to strafe her. "Quit wasting my time."
She fires an R-73 at Hirushi while still on takeoff procedure, forcing him to maneuver to evade the missile.
"Damn it! It fired a missile from the ground." Hirushi said.
"What?!" Danji asked incredulously.
The Su-27 then blasts off from the runway on full afterburner, in hot pursuit of the stolen An-72. Natalya immediately releases the Su-27's drop tanks.
"Damn it!" Hitori yelled. "We have a Sukhoi on our six."
"I'll try contacting them." Shiki said. "They'll get it off our back."
Having evaded the R-73, Hirushi turns around to engage Natalya's Su-27.
"Guys. Get that Sukhoi off our ass!" Shiki's voice comes out of the radio.
"Captain. What's going on?" Hirushi asked.
"There's no time." Hitori said, talking through the radio in Shiki's place.
"Take that Russian jet down before it takes us down."
"Roger." Danji said, albeit sarcastically, as he joins the dogfight against Natalya.
Soon the Su-27 and the F-35s enter a merge, with all three planes twisting and turning.
"Damn you Japanese bastards!" Natalya cursed as she turned to engage the two F-35s. "I refuse to be disgraced like this."
She pulls off a Cobra to get on the tail of Hirushi's F-35, well aware that Danji is right behind her, trying to acquire a missile lock on her plane.
"That's impressive." Danji said, complimenting Natalya's skill level. "But it's the end of the line for you."
As soon as he acquires lock, he fires an AIM-9 Sidewinder, but Natalya decoys it with flares, destroying the missile.
"Damn. Flares." Danji continued. "Either you're really good, or you're just too damn crazy."
Observing the increasingly insane dogfight from the An-72's cockpit, Hitori could only look on in shock.
"I've never seen such insane maneuvering before." Hitori said.
"You said it." Shiki replied. "If this Rusky is giving my pals trouble, then he has to be an ace."
"Just focus on getting us back to the ship." Hitori continued.
"Don't worry." Shiki said, all the while pulling the throttle.
"We'll be back on the Hayashi in no time at all."
Meanwhile, the dogfight between Natalya and the F-35s piloted by Danji and Hirushi is about to come to a conclusion. Her bizarre turn rate is increasingly putting stress on the Su-27, with a piece of the left wing being torn off from the twists and turns being performed.
"Blast it! My Flanker isn't responding quickly enough to my reaction time." Natalya said, lamenting the condition of her plane.
Witnessing this, Danji and Hirushi immediately bug out in full afterburner.
"Man, is this guy for real?" Hirushi asked. "He turned so hard so many times his Sukhoi's falling apart."
"Let's head back to the ship." Danji said. "This Rusky already won this fight no matter how hard we try to kill him. Besides, we already got who we came for."
"Of course, Danji." Hirushi replied.
Natalya smashes the instruments of her Su-27 in frustration, furious that she allowed her opponents to escape.
"Damn it all!" Natalya cursed once again. "DAMN YOU BASTARDS! HOW DARE YOU MAKE A FOOL OUT OF ME?!"
The upset Natalya flies her stricken Su-27 back to the airbase.
Hours later, as the sun sets, back on the Hayashi, Hitori speaks to the pilots, officers and crewmen gathered before her on the bridge.
"I know I have been unfair to you all when I came to this ship. I lashed out, acted irrationally and put myself in danger in the process. But the events of the previous day taught me many things about responsibility, how to be a model Captain for all the men and women on this ship to follow, and I promise you all that under my command, this ship will be a decorum for compassion, kindness and teamwork. We will face many hardships, challenges and battles, but in the end, we will all survive, and we will go home. All of us will come back home alive."
Everyone claps in unison, moved by Hitori's speech. Danji, Hirushi, Junji and Shiki smile at Hitori, and Hitori smiles back at them, winking at Shiki in particular.
"Did she just wink at you, man?" Junji asked Shiki.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Shiki replied.
"The only thing that matters is we're all together again." Danji said. "That's what counts."
Just then, several F-15J Eagles and F-2B Viper Zeroes fly past the Hayashi, and everyone cheers.
The End.